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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510031">A Flicker of HoPe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadow_oblivion/pseuds/shadow_oblivion'>shadow_oblivion</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Romance, Comfort/Angst, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evil W. D. Gaster, Flowey Remembers Resets (Undertale), Fluff and Angst, Gaster is the AU character, He isn't nice, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Just Different, M/M, Magic and Science, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Mix of ooc and ic probably, No Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Oh, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sensitive bones, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Veteran Grillby (Undertale), Veteran W. D. Gaster, W. D. Gaster Is Not Related to Papyrus and Sans, but there is some, classic undertale setting, deaths before resets do happen, gaster remembers resets through not being in his own universe, how many tags can I add before I forget something, it's supposed to be a quiet romance, let the older gentlemen have some peace and quiet, no ecto in this fic folks, no wild smut here, not to be confused with au gaster, resets and reloads, that just happens, there's a lot of angst okay, there's violence in this which is why it is rated M, when you actually are</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:01:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,049</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510031</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadow_oblivion/pseuds/shadow_oblivion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>W.D. Gaster was content to spend his time in isolation and keep to himself, after the past had become too much.  Being catapulted into an entirely different universe via his own magic going haywire was unexpected. Remembering everything as time repeated itself over and over again in a place that was and wasn't his home was almost too much to bear.</p><p>At least there soon became one constant in all the pain and confusion.</p><p>A fire monster who seemed to be rather interested in the familiarity of Gaster's presence, despite having no memory of their many previous meetings.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>W. D. Gaster &amp; Grillby, W. D. Gaster/Grillby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is one of those fics that is what it is, and is a result of me wanting to read something specific, not finding it, and therefore deciding to write it (and apparently this is a rare-pair compared to others, which makes sense, given they never interact in the game. Not gonna stop me from writing it though).</p><p>Note: The beginning chapter takes place in an AU, with the second chapter transitioning from AU to the canon universe. Chapter three and on will continue to take place in the Classic Undertale universe unless otherwise noted.  Interpretation of Grillby and Gaster's characters are mainly fanon concepts then made to fit in with this fic's plot.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was peaceful.</p><p>Quiet.</p><p>Safe.</p><p>All things that W.D. Gaster enjoyed in his mostly self-imposed solitude in a quiet corner of the Underground. </p><p>No responsibilities.</p><p>No expectations.</p><p>No screaming, apart from the echoes of ones that appeared in his nightmares. Unfortunately, those were more frequent that Gaster cared for, but felt he deserved, in some way.</p><p>Distant sounds of other monsters going about their daily lives just barely reached Gaster's small, sparse home at the top of a cliff in Waterfall.</p><p>The water that fell in the distant was soothing.</p><p>Calming.</p><p>It didn't always help.</p><p>Despite Gaster no longer feeling as if he would go mad from the screams that haunted his dreams, he still tread carefully during his waking hours, lest he blast a hole into a wall and upset any monsters nearby.  Not that anyone should be around his home.  Due to an order from Asgore, none dared to approach the skeleton monster with ill intent for what his research decades ago had wrought.  Through no fault of his own, Gaster did acknowledge the he had made things worse instead of fixing the problem.  This was likely the only reason Asgore had extended protection to him, in return for never picking up any of his research again.</p><p>It had stung.</p><p>Being taken from his life's work was like wrenching his soul in half.  Science had been a large part of his life. One of the few things he was really good at, and now, because of a series of events that cascaded out of control, Gaster no longer had his work to fall back on when he was restless.</p><p>Case in point, Gaster was bored out of his mind.</p><p>Sure, he had free reign to do anything apart from what he’d been up to in the lab, but it just wasn’t the same. The passion wasn’t there for Gaster to fall into some other area of expertise, though healing was something he had done before he got wrapped in his research. Not that anyone would want him anywhere near them as a healer, so that path was barred to him as well.</p><p>Gaster didn’t like boredom. The skeleton monster didn’t like not having something to have his mind focused on.</p><p>Boredom led to some unhealthy habits, such as Gaster taking to knocking his skull against a desk or other hard surface. Ordinarily, this was the result of noticing that he would write out a thesis or something of the sort that branched off one of his old research topics. Sometime even formulas, calculations and other various notes made their way onto paper while Gaster was half-awake and not altogether there.</p><p>Old habits died hard.</p><p>Cracking his skull among them to the point Asgore noticed the resulting damage.</p><p>That had been an interesting conversation, between Asgore inspiring he see a healer and Gaster signing that he could heal himself and that no, he was not trying to dust himself. The skeleton monster had just been attempting to prevent himself from working on old projects.</p><p>The meeting had actually gone better than some in the past, ending with Asgore telling the skeleton monster that, in the future, under close supervision, Gaster might be allowed to pick up only very specific topics to research, with a lot of check-ins.</p><p>The scrap of possibility tossed at him like that made Gaster hopeful, since science really was his passion. Being holed up researching and testing out theories (and toying with some ideas known to only the skeleton monster himself). His time in the lab had, after all, been the main way Gaster filled the hours of his life following the war and the barrier being put in place.</p><p>It was nice of Asgore to offer a portion of his work back, and yet...</p><p>Gaster wasn't entirely convinced that he would even be able to go into a lab without panic eventually overtaking him and limiting his ability to make sound decisions.  </p><p>Being unable to react swiftly enough once before in another period of his life had already left a big impression. </p><p>A visible scar.</p><p>Two, in fact.</p><p>There were two deep scars that scored Gaster's bony hands, and the former scientist could barely look at the damage without feeling ill.  Gaster knew that there was a large circle of missing bone on his left palm. In contrast, on his right palm, Gaster had three long scores, the bone completely missing. It looked like someone had clawed the bone away.</p><p>If only it <em>had</em> been claws...</p><p>In many ways, Gaster’s right hand hurt more than his left, a phantom ache manifesting now and again, especially when he was alone. </p><p>The scars were a reminder.</p><p>A warning.</p><p>That no matter how much Gaster wanted to undo some of his past decisions, the consequences had already long since passed.  And sometimes, doing the right things led to painful instances, like his hands.  </p><p>The war with the humans so long ago had been unpleasant, and left lasting scars. Gaster had scars from the lab as well, though not nearly as personal as his own bony palms  being permanently damaged without any  hope to heal it fully.</p><p>Gaster came back to the present when he finally noticed that his bones had begun to rattle in unease. Gaster quickly shook the old, unpleasant memories away. Nothing could be done to change what had already happened, and wishful thinking would get him nowhere.</p><p>Just like his current circumstances.</p><p>Gaster was aware that he was in danger, especially if he decided to leave his home for an extended period of time.  There were safety measures in place for this small building he called home, and a few layered magical protections over the surface of the home.  It wouldn’t prevent very ill intentioned monsters from breaking in, but it afforded some peace of mind.</p><p>Unfortunately, these precautions were necessary, due to Gaster always being at risk of being dusted from those who still held a grudge against him, even so many years later, for what had happened in the labs.</p><p>The only good that came out of this mess was that the CORE ran wonderfully, and Gaster had left enough notes behind in case there was ever a need to troubleshoot.  <br/>
<br/>
...provided they could read his handwriting and didn’t drag the former scientist back in to translate it into something understandable. Gaster <em>may</em> have been a little bitterer than he thought to have coded all those notes before he was forced to leave the labs. But the important part was nothing had gone wrong with the CORE thus far, and as a result, everyone continued to have power in the underground.</p><p>Gaster clacked his phalanges thoughtfully against the counter in the small kitchen that Asgore insisted he have put in.</p><p>Speaking of Asgore, he and a few others would be stopping by with supplies for him.</p><p>One close brush with being dusted yesterday was enough for Gaster to admit defeat and reach out to the King.  After all, Asgore had specifically asked him to, in case he needed anything.  Being a tall skeleton monster surrounded by no one like himself made it difficult to blend in at all, and, as yesterday proved, made him an easier target.</p><p>Gaster twitched when he realized a phalange had reached up to tap at his nasal cavity. Gaster let out a grumble as he dropped his hand.</p><p>Another bad habit he was trying to kick, along with dropping his jaw and clacking his teeth back together while deep in thought.</p><p>His colleagues had <em>hated</em> the sound, but Gaster could be very focused when working and not notice the unnerving sounds he was making. That, and scaring the shit out of other monsters in the lab by looking like he was asleep before suddenly standing up, usually without his eye lights on, and storming down a hall while signing in a flurry of whatever he had thought of in that moment.</p><p>Ah, those had been the good days...</p><p>Gaster reluctantly turned his mind away from the past and fixed his eye lights on the front door instead.</p><p>The expected knock didn't come.</p><p>Odd.</p><p>Asgore was always very prompt with his visits.</p><p>Gaster's jaw set, teeth snapping together as his bone brow furrowed, eye lights darting to a wall. He did have the right day, didn't he?  It was sometimes hard to tell, when Gaster didn't have to keep a strict schedule for himself.</p><p>...what day was it, anyway?</p><p>The silence of Gaster’s home was broken as his front door suddenly smashed inward with a sharp spike of magical energy.</p><p>That alone was enough to draw Gaster out of his stupor.</p><p>Another flash of magic had Gaster automatically raising a hand to flick several bones out of nowhere to block each of the erratic magical patterns that a monster shot directly at him.</p><p>Interesting, if annoying.</p><p>This visitor was definitely not Asgore or any of his guards.  They had much more refined magical bullets, and better aim.  They wouldn't have missed, nor would Gaster have been able to block every single attack as he did now. It had been awhile since he'd been in a fight, and as before, it was very...</p><p>...unpleasant.</p><p>Sensing all the bad intention aimed his way made Gaster rather ill.  Not because he thought someone could dust him right now, but because he had to risk harming someone in return to protect himself.  There was no guarantee that Gaster could stop the perpetrators without whiddling down their HP to the point where they would have to surrender.  And while Gaster was a skeleton monster, and some believed that meant he was weak, that wasn't the case.  <br/>
<br/>
He was just very good at avoiding being hit.</p><p>That, and Gaster happened to be one of the oldest monsters still living. Gaster had been around long enough to gather all that HoPe, even if some of it slipped away over the years. Not that Gaster ever believed for a second that he would have to use that buffer of high HP to protect himself from other monsters.</p><p>It was sad how much the times had changed.</p><p>Several bullet attacks flashed through the broken door, drawing Gaster back to the immediate threat at hand.</p><p>Gaster summoned forth more bone attacks of his own, easily flicking the other magic away. A few hand constructs manifested and caught the magic that got past the bones.  There didn't seem to be a lot of force behind the bullet patterns aimed his way.  It seemed that it was being done in a more calculated way for the amount being released.  It didn’t seem like enough for what appeared to be an ambush.</p><p>Gaster's head jerked to the side as he blocked another volley, two more attacks crashing in from both the ruined front door and from either side of the house from where Gaster now stood. </p><p>A flurry of magical energy from all sides surged toward him as soon as he had blocked the first wave.</p><p>Now <em>that</em> was more like an ambush.</p><p>Gaster wasn’t about to remain is his soon to be destroyed home to be hit by stray magical bullets. With a shift of his body, the skeleton monster flashed himself briefly out of existence. Gaster was no longer in the house, drawing forth exclamations and curses.</p><p>Teleportation was difficult but doable, he found.</p><p>Convenient, yet exhausting if overused.</p><p>Gaster couldn't transport himself very far but he was at least far enough away from immediate danger.  He could see now that there were far more monsters gathered than he anticipated there being.  From how organized the group was outside his house, the other monsters had planned to pin him inside until he couldn't prevent himself from being hit.</p><p>Gaster shuddered at the thought. </p><p><em>That</em> was not the way he pictured himself leaving this world. </p><p>Bones faintly rattling against one another beneath his clothing, Gaster fished out the phone he'd been given from his...goodness, he was wearing a bathrobe over a dress shirt and slacks.</p><p>It must have been a very long night of staring at nothing to not have bothered changing clothes...</p><p>Gaster side stepped a direct strike from one monster who got too close, used a bone summoned directly in hand to swat away another, before teleporting a short distance away. Gaster dialed Asgore, hand clenching the bone in his grasp tight enough the bone of his hand scraped against it. Gaster didn't give the goat monster who appeared on the specially made screen a chance to speak. Gaster was relieved in that moment that he had these devices capable of seeing him sign so that others could understand him.</p><p>"<strong>They've come, as you said they might</strong>."  Gaster grit out aloud at the screen, signing his words with his free hand as new bullet patterns began spiraling toward him.  “<b>I was expecting an ambush at some point, but not so soon after the last attempt."</b></p><p>'Can you get to Hotland?<em>'</em>  Asgore's voice rumbled with concern. </p><p>"<strong>I will attempt to</strong>."  Gaster maneuvered the bone he held in his hand up irritably to block a magical barrage.  He formed hand bullets to continue to sign to Asgore. It was difficult to make sure the hands were within view of the screen while also preventing himself from being hit. ‘<em>But with these numbers, there isn't much time to run before they will be able to corner me. And jumping from place to place will only tire me out, and make myself an easier target.’</em></p><p>'If you can avoid harming them, that would be ideal, but do defend yourself, Gaster.<em>' </em> Asgore could be heard walking. ‘The guards and I will come as quickly as we can.’</p><p>‘<em>I may have to get rough with them and</em>-‘ Gaster was distracted for a single moment, and it was enough that he missed something that whistled through the air at him. But Gaster felt it when the object hit him in his right shoulder blade. A sharp pain reached him through the layers of clothing, which caused Gaster to drop the phone.</p><p>It wasn’t magic.</p><p>It was a capsule of some kind, with a needle.</p><p>Gaster wasn't a fool. He knew what it likely was, and he couldn't help but find irony in his past coming back to bite him.</p><p>Literally.</p><p>The sting of the needle that had lodged itself into his shoulder bone was agonizing.  </p><p>Gaster was quick to pull it out and pocket it out of morbid curiosity.  If he lived through this, he wanted to know what exactly he was dealing with.  There were very few monsters Gaster would trust to make dosages of various drugs in the labs, and he doubted these particular monsters attacking him had gotten it from any of those reliable sources.</p><p>The monsters that had swarmed his house were now approaching him.</p><p>He had to make a run for it.</p><p>Gaster bit back a pained cry as his shoulder flared from whatever had been injected into him, only for that same agony to spiral outward rapidly.  Gaster stumbled and fell to his knees, the skeleton monster’s entire body shaking and making an awful din of rattling bones.</p><p>What?</p><p>What <em>was</em> this?</p><p>Gaster could feel his magic beginning to spill off of him.</p><p>Why?</p><p>Why was it...?</p><p>Gaster reached for his magic, to keep it under control. He could feel the telltale signs of summoning his blasters into existence, and Gaster really, <em>really</em> didn't want to make the situation any worse than it already was.  But from whatever drug had been injected into him, it seemed like Gaster didn't have a choice in the matter.  It was as if he <em>had</em> to use his magic, to get rid of the terrible sensation that was settling into his very bones. With one final cry of denial, Gaster let the blasters manifest into existence.</p><p>He hadn't meant to summon half a dozen Gaster Blasters. It put a strain on Gaster, since it had been some time since he’d summoned those particular constructs.</p><p>The sensation, the damnnably uncomfortable sensation was still there, however.</p><p>Attacks making their mark on Gaster past his manifested blasters and the pillars of bone meant to block them spiraled the former scientist past the point of no return.</p><p>He had to defend himself. </p><p>He didn't want to die.</p><p>Gaster's bony fingers scratched at his skull before he grasped it and bowed his head. His frustrations of all the past decades gathered up and burst out through the blasters, the magic rich beams making him shiver.</p><p>It had been so long since he had called on this much power.</p><p>Gaster never had to, when he had been working in the labs. He hadn't had to fight for his life against such bad intent like this since the war.</p><p>But this feeling...</p><p>These attacks being directed at him brought all those memories to the surface, and Gaster  strained right prevent himself from lashing out. It would only make his magic go further out of his control. Even now, there was no pattern to Gaster’s attacks other than putting out as much raw magic into them as possible.</p><p>He let go, the pain unbearable.</p><p>There were frightened screams all around him.</p><p>Shouting.</p><p>Pleading.</p><p>Gaster couldn't stop himself, even if he wanted to. Whatever drug had been given to him caused Gaster to want to get as much magic out of him as possible. </p><p>To rid himself of that terrible feeling in his bones.</p><p>Less than a minute passed before the sensations he was experiencing became  bearable.</p><p>Gaster came out of his magic stupor, and in that moment, realized what he had done. Trembling, Gaster stared at the old scars on his palms, and then shakily checked his soul.</p><p>
  <b> <em>W. D. Gaster</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>LV 13 ATK 25 DEF 15 HP ???</em></b>
</p><p><b><em>*Doesn't know what is happening</em></b> </p><p>His...his LV, which had been the same as always after the war, had shot up by 4.  Terrified, Gaster lifted his skull, shaking in place as he realized that there were no more attacks because he...because he had <em>dusted</em> all of the monster’s around him.</p><p>Oh no.</p><p>No.</p><p>There was no one left for Asgore and his guards to question.</p><p>The scene was damning.</p><p>There was no way...</p><p>Gaster clutched his skull again as he felt his magic beginning to build up again. His bones ached from the strain this was putting on him, his soul almost feeling like it was going to crack under the pressure.</p><p>No.</p><p>This couldn't be happening! </p><p>He didn't...Gaster couldn't make it stop. Gaster couldn’t get his own magic back under control. And not being in control was dangerous, especially when Asgore and his guard would be here soon. But with the way things were going, if they came before the skeleton monster could get his magic to a manageable level...</p><p>Gaster was going to dust everyone, or be dusted himself. There seemed to be nothing he could do to stop himself at present, as his magic output began to climb further, and more Gaster Blasters manifested.</p><p>This was by far one of the worst days in Gaster’s entire existence, just behind the war.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time seemed to slow for Gaster as he desperately fought to get his own magic to listen to him.  But it appeared to be a useless endeavor, as whatever he had been drugged with made everything that much more difficult than it ought to have been. Ordinarily, using magic was natural and required little to no thought once one had lived long enough and knew the subtle nuances.</p><p>It certainly shouldn’t have felt like dragging one’s feet along.</p><p>"Gaster!"</p><p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p><p>That voice…</p><p>Gaster could barely raise his skull in time to see Asgore arrive. With a quick glance of his eye lights, Gaster could see the horror that crossedthe King's face, as well as that of his guards as they took in the scene.</p><p>Dust was everywhere, mixed in with clothing that no longer had any owners.</p><p>Asgore made as if to take a step forward but hesitated when he noticed the build up of magic.</p><p>"<strong>Stay away</strong>."  Gaster ground out, having no concentration to sign. He was even having difficulty forming words, but it was his magic that was the problem right now. It was  threatening to spill over again in a violent way.  The former scientist honestly didn't blame Asgore and the others for producing weapons and preparing their own magic at what they saw.  After all, it did look like Gaster had just murdered a bunch of monsters.</p><p>...Well, Gaster <em>had</em> dusted all those monsters, actually, even if it had been done against his will.</p><p>Gaster couldn’t keep his head up any longer and let it hang, hands curling into fists. Why couldn't he stop the flow of his own magic?</p><p>What had that drug <em>been</em>?</p><p>Gaster didn’t know the answer to that, and this frustrated him. He was going to find out one way or another, just to ensure it was never made again, but not right now. Gaster curled in on himself, struggling to contain himself to the last moment before his magic poured out. The Gaster Blaster’s beams firing  drowned out any other sound.</p><p>There was a heavy, poignant silence that followed.</p><p>Gaster choked back a scream as his LV rose significantly.</p><p>It was quiet. </p><p>There was too much dust in the air around him, the familiar scent heavy in the air.</p><p>This had to be a nightmare.</p><p>It couldn’t be real.</p><p>Gaster felt one last burst of magic that spiraled out from his very soul, blacking out his surroundings as he very nearly lost consciousness.  Gaster had the vague sensation of falling endlessly, before he felt as though he were being wrenched around in all different directions.</p><p>It hurt.</p><p>It made his very soul ache, as if it could tell that something was terribly amiss. There was a cracking sound, as if his soul has splintered, but Gaster knew that this wasn’t the case, as he hadn’t lost any HP.</p><p>The almost feeling of being ripped apart persisted even in the dark silence around him.</p><p>Gaster struggled blindly against being tugged about, unable to see what was going on.</p><p>And then came the voices.</p><p>Voices were whispering around him in that infinite darkness. There was a distinct lack of nothing within that darkness as the voices faded in and out all around.</p><p>Gaster couldn’t help but attempt to move away from the nothingness, sending the wrongness, even as the voices returned.</p><p>One voice soon stood out more than the others. This single voice was inaudible, as if the speaker was unable to work up enough energy to be louder.  But the voice didn’t need to speak in order to let its intentions be known.</p><p>A touch accomplished that.</p><p>A very cold, skeletal hand touched Gaster’s right shoulder bone. The cold phalanges then dug in painfully to the spot where Gaster had been struck with the needle and-</p><p>Gaster came to abruptly, lying on his back as he stared up at a rather familiar golden scenery.</p><p>Wait a minute.</p><p>How was he in the Last Corridor?</p><p>Gaster was positive that he didn’t have it in him to teleport all the way from Waterfall.</p><p>"heya..."</p><p>Gaster groaned at the voice that had spoken. Or had it? Gaster slowly sat up, hand to the back of his skull as he woozily focused on his surroundings.</p><p>It certainly was the Last Corridor, with its soft golden glow.</p><p>Gaster looked himself over, and saw dust covering his robe and part of his shirt. With shaking hands, Gaster gently brushed away the dust, internally apologizing to Asgore and his guards. Feeling a heavy guilt for being unable to keep his magic in check, Gaster raised his head again.</p><p>And froze.</p><p>A skeleton monster.</p><p>There was another skeleton monster only a few feet away from Gaster. The former scientist tilted his head as he studied the other. Was this skeleton the one who had spoken to Gaster moments before? Gaster looked closer, and winced in sympathy at what he saw.</p><p>It made him unwilling think of the past.</p><p>Of the war between humans and monsters.Of Gaster trying and failing to heal some monsters as they dusted from their terrible wounds mid-healing. Of Gaster’s own bones being split open, seeping magic and marrow. This smaller skeleton before him...no amount of healing Gaster could offer would be enough to prevent the other from dusting.</p><p>The smaller skeleton was terribly wounded, with a slice across his chest. He was bleeding profusely from the bones beneath the torn and stained clothing, showing cracks and knocks in the bone where the damage had been done.</p><p>It seemed to be the work of w sharp blade.</p><p>Gaster recognized the pattern of damage, since he himself had experienced injuries from a variety of sharp blades, from swords to spears to daggers. </p><p>The wide grin across the other skeleton’s skull was dripping blood, but it was the lack of normal eye lights that was immediately concerning. That, and the myriad of cracks that littered his soul, the white flickering duller with every passing second.</p><p>“<strong>Who...are you</strong>?” Gaster found himself speaking aloud, in the hopes that the other skeleton monster would understand him. </p><p>In place of eye lights, the smaller skeleton had a glowing flicker of cyan and yellow within his left eye socket.  The right was entirely dark. The monster's grin twitched a little wider, as if amused by Gaster’s question.</p><p>“what? you don’t know? i’m sans. sans the skeleton.”  </p><p>Gaster gave the other monster an appraising look before giving his head a shake. If he was supposed to know the other skeleton, the other was mistaken. Gaster had never met another monster like himself before now.</p><p>“well, that’s something new...” The injured skeleton murmured, his voice barely audible. “you look like...<em>him</em>..." Sans coughed, despite having no reason to with a distinct lack of organs.  "but he's dead.  he has to be..."  The dual color in Sans’ left eye socket flared and grew stronger, the magic splitting off and away from the socket.  "i won't let you-"</p><p>Whatever the smaller skeleton monster wasn't going to let Gaster do was a moot point, as the former science suddenly had the surprise of being faced with half a dozen Gaster blasters that looked eerily similar to his own.  Gaster had no time to react as the blasters fired shot after shot.  Gaster expected to be dusted in an instant, but instead, he was still seated. At least until he felt as though he were going to fall over. Gaster ended up collapsing, barely able to get himself to his hands and knees as he felt himself tremble.</p><p>What <em>was</em> this magic he was feeling?</p><p>Gaster wearily turned his skull to the side, noting that the other monster's constructs had dissipated.  </p><p>Between one breath and the next, the other skeleton monster was dust. </p><p>Gaster felt close to dusting himself, much to his horror, since he had had a good bulk of HP. Those blasters hadn't done much damage to him. They were barely a nick, really, but whatever secondary magical effect was taking place seemed to be slowly draining away the remainder of Gaster’s HP.</p><p>Teetering on the edge of consciousness at only a few HP, Gaster could no longer remain on his hands and knees. With a terrible clacking of bones, Gaster let himself fall over into his side, where he half curled up on the floor and closed his eye sockets. </p><p>This day really <em>was</em> the worst he had had in a long while.  </p><p>Worse than what happened in the labs, but not nearly as bad as the war Gaster had been a part of. Where he had to kill to survive.</p><p>The LV increase Gaster felt right now made him feel wretched and guilty as hell.</p><p>Asgore and the guards hadn’t deserved that. Not even Gaster’s assailants that wanted him dead deserved to be dusted like that.</p><p>Gaster finally rested at one HP as the magic that had been sapping his HP dissipated. As Gaster began to drift further and further from reality, he could have sworn he heard a voice speak very close by.</p><p>"Golly. What have we here? This is different than before. Where’d you come from?”</p><p>Gaster twitched but otherwise didn’t make any other move. He was simply too exhausted to do anything. Not even to protect himself.</p><p>"That smiley trashbag really did a number on you, huh? Well, since this is all unexpected and new, I suppose I can-"</p><p>There was an odd ripple, a loss of surroundings and then-</p><p>The uncomfortable, terrifying sensation of being pulled in all directions returned.</p><p>This time, Gaster didn't bother to fight against where it wanted to bring him. Anything was better than waiting to dust and become nothing.</p><p>Another ripple and a very faint shift of <em>something</em> prompted sudden awareness. Much to Gaster's dismay, and perhaps relief, he found that he very much hadn't dusted. He was lying in the snow instead.</p><p>Tgai wasn’t the Last Corridor, or Waterfall.</p><p>So...where was he now?</p><p>Gaster slowly sat up, disoriented by his surroundings. It didn’t seem right, even if it appeared to be familiar. As if it were a place he may have visited in the past but not any time after going to work in the lab. But the longer Gaster looked around his snowy, tree dotted scenery, the more the subtle differences became clearer.</p><p>The feeling in the air wasn't the same, for one things. There was a tenseness that made Gaster’s bones rattle very faintly, as if he were in imminent danger.  </p><p>This place...somehow, someway, Gaster was positive that this wasn’t his home.</p><p>"Boy, you sure do look confused."  A small voice said cheerfully.</p><p>Gaster looked down and saw a yellow flower in a few feet in front of him, poking out of the snow.</p><p>The flower smiled before it offered a wicked grin that seemed out of place.</p><p>"Let's try a little experiment."  The flower let out a giggle and manifested a lot of pellet-like bullets before unleashing them. </p><p>Gaster barely managed to doge them but was stuck by a group of them from the side and then he stumbled from that, the odd rippling sensation struck, and suddenly, Gaster was staring back up at the sky while lying on his back in the snow.</p><p>What?</p><p>"Boy, you sure do look confused."  A small voice said cheerfully.</p><p>Gaster sat up and saw a yellow flower a few feet in front of him, poking up out of the snow.</p><p>...Wait. </p><p>Hadn't this already happened?</p><p>The flower smiled before it offered a wicked grin that seemed out of place.</p><p>"Let's try a little experiment."  The flower let out a giggle and manifested a lot of pellet-like bullets before unleashing them. </p><p>Gaster managed to dodge most of the pellets, drawing a little surprise from the flower.  The ripple happened again, and Gaster was back on the snow, staring up at the sky.</p><p>What?</p><p>"Boy, you sure do look confused."  A small voice said cheerfully.</p><p>Gaster sat up and saw a yellow flower a few feet in front of him, poking up out of the snow.</p><p>Wait. </p><p>This <em>had</em> already happened. </p><p>What was-</p><p>The flower smiled before it offered a wicked grin that seemed out of place.</p><p>"Let's try a little experiment."  The flower let out a giggle and manifested a lot of pellet-like bullets before unleashing them. </p><p>Gaster dodged all of the pellets this time and managed to send one bone attack in return to make the flower stop its own pattern of attack.</p><p>"InTeReStInG."  The yellow flower had an unsettling expression, before it vanished beneath the snow, its next words muffled.</p><p>There was another ripple.</p><p>This time, Gaster was quicker in sitting up, planning to use blue soul magic on the flower to demand some answers.</p><p>There was no yellow flower in the snow this time.</p><p>Gaster double checked the immediate area, skull turning to and fro as his eye lights searched the white snow.</p><p>Nothing was there.</p><p>He was alone.</p><p>Gaster knew that he had seen a yellow flower, but it didn't appear in front of him where it had been before. Gaster stared at his damaged palms for a long time while he sat there in the snow. He stayed seated for so long that snow began to build up on his bathrobe-covered shoulders. Gaster slowly begun to piece some things together. The former scientist almost immediately wanted to deny what he had just experienced, but it was too much of a coincidence not to consider the impossible.  Gaster knew that he remembered meeting that yellow flower several times in a row, as if their meeting had been sent back to the beginning each time. </p><p>But no, no such thing had happened.<br/>
<br/>
At least not this time around.</p><p>Gaster's hands trembled before he held them together tightly, bone scraping against bone and making him wince.</p><p>It was a reload.</p><p>Gaster had just gone through several reloads. Sending him back to the beginning of his meeting with the flower had to have proved that. And before, in the Last Corridor...</p><p>Had that been a reset?</p><p>Was that why Gaster was somewhere new, in the snow now? Because he had been in an unfamiliar place then, with another skeleton monster, Sans, and Gaster was certain he had been the last one. Plus, he had never met Sans before, while he seemed to think he knew someone like him. Which led to other questions, like the idea of alternate universes which, for how Gaster felt, always not a topic of thought he was going to pursue while not feeling at his best. But certainly later, once he got himself sorted and knew where he was. But for now, the mere fact that a reset seemed to have occurred...</p><p>What force of determination was that strong?</p><p>It had all been a hypothesis before, while studying human souls. Nothing had been proven, since no human soul had had the amount of determination required to make any fluctuations appear on any of his devices and yet-</p><p>Gaster looked around his surroundings again. He honestly hadn't expected to have sudden proof of what seemed like a useless research topic. Gaster didn't know what to do with himself in that moment. It was all too surreal, and the idea of reset appearance of a very much alive Sans.  Gaster remained in place, quietly watching Sans walk by in the distance, accompanied by another, taller skeleton monster in ridiculous-looking armor and a red scarf.</p><p>They appeared to be bickering.</p><p>Neither skeleton monster seemed to notice Gaster, and the former scientist did nothing to draw their attention to him. Gaster needed to do some thinking, because honestly, he was overwhelmed.  Both with this situation and his own damning stats that let Gaster know he wasn’t dreaming or imagining things.</p><p>What the hell was happening to him?</p><p>Gaster waited for the skeletons to be out of view before he stood, brushing his robe free of the snow that had gathered. Not exactly the best attire combination but at least his dress shirt and slacks were clean the day before. Gaster tied the robe off anyway, even if the chill in the air didn’t bother him as much. Provided his bones didn’t get soaked and freeze. Now that would be an unpleasant end to the day.</p><p>A series of excited barking suddenly sounded from Gaster’s right.</p><p>Dog monsters?</p><p>Before Gaster could decide whether it would be worth it to avoid them, the canines were suddenly upon him.</p><p>”Who’s this?”</p><p>”A skeleton monster!”</p><p>”New!”</p><p>Gaster rather patiently waited out the curious sniffing, soft wet noses pressing agaisnt his exposed skull now and again as the dog monsters inspected him.</p><p>”Stranger.”</p><p>”Good?”</p><p>”Should take to captain.”</p><p>Gaster tensed a little at that before relaxing his stance and sighing. The train of thought made sense, considering no one seemed to recognize him, and he didn’t recognize anyone either. Gaster dubiously rises his hands to sign at the gathered canines. </p><p>
  <em>‘It is cold out. Is there someone to go warm up before contacting your captain?’<br/>
</em>
</p><p><em>“</em>Uses hands like Grillby<em>.”</em></p><p><em>”</em>But Sans and Papyrus speak.”</p><p>“<b>They must have learned the language when younger.</b>” Gaster said aloud, even as he signed along automatically. “<b>I found I was not able to learn to speak some of the common monster languages. But I understand them well enough.”</b></p><p>The dog monsters seemed curious and excited about a new monster in their midst, and apparently decided to sweep Gaster along with their group while answering his earlier question.</p><p>“Know somewhere.”</p><p>”Let’s go! We can warm up there and call for the captain to let her know.”</p><p>Gaster couldn’t really do much but walk along with all the dog monsters. The canines radiated heat from their fur, even though some wore armor. Some even pressed up to Gaster’s side to give him another sniff. As nice as the friendly company was, Gaster could really use some space, and soon. He was still a fidgety after the whole ‘dusting monsters against his will.’</p><p>In no time at all, the group of monsters reached a quaint little town, called Snowdin, and walked until they came to a halt in front of a building.</p><p><em>Grillby’s</em>.</p><p>Gaster tilted his skull to the side at the sign. He didn’t recall a building like this back home. Gaster signed something cross over one of the dogs getting a little too close to his sore shoulder bone, despite the layer of clothes. The door was opened, and Gaster stepped in with the dog monsters. As soon as the door shut, the temperature began to sink into his bones, and Gaster nearly groaned in appreciation. Despite being less affected by temperature, Gaster did appreciate the heat.</p><p>It was nice and toasty inside of this...bar?</p><p>Gaster reached out absently to give the bigger armored dog a scratch on the head, grateful for being brought indoors instead of being kept out in the cold to wait. </p><p>The dog monster went wild with excitement, and in short order, all of the canines were yipping about ‘pets.’ </p><p>Gaster let out a startled laugh as he went ahead and pet the other dog monsters. They each waited their turn, and from the looks of the blissed expressions and furiously wagging tails, they hadn’t experienced being pet much before. As the dogs began to settle down, Gaster allowed himself to take in the rest of the place with a cursory flick of his eye lights.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There were not many patrons there yet, apart from a red bird seated on a stool and a monster sulking in a booth.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster was a little surprised to see a fire monster cleaning a glass behind the counter. With the outfit, Gaster assumed it meant the other monster was a bartender or something of the sort.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Interesting.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That explained why the building was so warm. But it was a little strange that a fire monster would live in a cold place like this. </span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Gaster tapped his phalanges absently against the table he’d been seated at by the dog monsters. Gaster couldn’t recall meeting very many fire monsters back home. </span><span class="s1">Back in his...universe? </span>There was some kind of weird time/space phenomenon going on, and a different universe than his own would actually make sense.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster’s usual toothy smile shifted into a bit of a frown.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">How many elemental beings were in this universe?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A lot?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Only a few, like in his own universe?</span>
</p><p class="p2">“Hungry?”</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster turned his attention back to the table and the dog monsters around him, realizing that there was food and drink at the table already. Gaster glanced to the back of the bar and saw the fire monster returning to the counter.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ah.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Gaster must have been lost in thought.  </span>Just as the skeleton monster was about to bite down on a delicious looking sandwich, he felt a stab over dread when that odd rippling sensation struck him. That painful wrenching in all directions began almost immediately, and before Gaster knew it, he was lying on his back in the snow.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That had been...another reset.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Gaster sat up and stayed in place for a very long time, ignoring the snow falling on him as the implications set in. </span>It seemed that, whenever there was a reset, he would now find himself back in the snow outside of Snowdin. And not only that...</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster caught sight of Sans and the other, taller skeleton walking by some distance away. So not </span>
  <span class="s1">only did Gaster get sent back to this specific time, but everyone else around him seemed to...</span>
</p><p>A series of excited barking suddenly sounded from Gaster’s right.</p><p>Could it be?</p><p>The dog monsters were suddenly upon him.</p><p>”Who’s this?”</p><p>”A skeleton monster!”</p><p>”New!”</p><p>Yes, it was.</p><p>Time was repeating itself, and only Gaster seemed to remember that this had happened before.</p><p>And that yellow flower, wherever it was, surely remembered too. Was it the source of the reset, or was that only a coincidence?</p><p>Gaster attempted to ignore the discomfort he felt as the time draw closer to where the reset had happened. While the reset did not occur until after he had eaten, it was still upsetting that it had happened again. Back in the snow, Gaster staggered to his feet and plunged into the trees around him, determined to figure out what was going on.</p><p>It couldn’t be anything good, if someone decided to turn back time.</p><p>Unfortunately, Gaster had gone in the same direction as Sans and the other skeleton, and Gaster <em>really</em> hadn’t been prepared for another meeting with the other monster so soon.</p><p>”heya.” While Sans didn’t seem to recognize Gaster, there was certainly a good deal of animosity and distrust that set the shorter skeleton on edge as soon as his eye lights landed on Gaster. “i don’t remember there being another skeleton monster other than me and my bro.”</p><p>At the flicker of cyan and yellow in one of Sans’ eye sockets, Gaster braced himself for a potential fight.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah, seems like I’ll end up updating one more time before the end of the month. Maybe by then I’ll figure out a tentative update schedule.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some background stuff/angst from Sans and Gaster before there’ll finally be an interaction between Gaster and Grillby. 10k-ish words into the fic. </p><p>*sigh* Deciding to write a slow burn fic is gonna drive me crazy but I think it’ll be worth it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A loud voice interrupted Gaster and Sans from their quiet, yet magic-heavy standoff.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“WOWIE! LOOK, BROTHER, ANOTHER SKELETON! I THOUGHT YOU SAID THAT WE WERE THE ONLY ONES LEFT IN THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It looked to Gaster as though Sans was attempting to get a word in edgewise but the speaker, the taller skeleton with that red scarf, looked overly excited and wasn't paying attention.</span>
</p><p class="p2">“SANS! WHAT IF WE ARE ALL RELATED? WHAT IF WE HAVE EVEN MORE SKELETON RELATIVES SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE UNDERGROUND?” Before Sans could say anything, the tall skeleton addressed Gaster. “I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!  AND THIS IS MY BROTHER, SANS!"  </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“</span> <span class="s2"><b>Wingdings...Gaster</b></span><span class="s1">.” The former scientist supplied, while trying to adjust to the booming volume of Papyrus’ voice. Had Gaster not trained himself enough to pay attention to details, he might have missed the way both brothers visibly flinched. When Gaster looked closer, there was no outward indication that showed the other skeleton monsters had had an adverse reaction to hearing his name.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Curious.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But Sans did stare at Gaster with blank eye sockets, as if daring Gaster to do anything to attack him or his brother.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So much hostility.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It made Gaster wonder what the Gasterof this universe was like. But questions of that sort were pushed to the back of his mind when Papyrus was suddenly very close and asking questions in that loud tone.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED ALONE? OR DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY THAT YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU? ARE YOU MOVING TO SNOWDIN? IT IS A NICE PLACE TO LIVE, ESPECIALLY AS A SKELETON, SINCE WE AREN’T AS AFFECTED BY THE COLD. PERHAPS YOU ARE MERELY HERE ON VACATION?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster tried and failed to get a word in, and could have sworn that he saw a brief, amused tug at Sans’ permanent grin before it went slack again.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“OH, YOU COULD JUST BE PASSING BY. THAT IS ALWAYS AN OPTION!” </span>Papyrus continued on, as if not noticing that both Sans and Gaster had tried and failed to say something to him.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Gaster half-listened to Papyrus, even as the former scientist attempted to figure out how to stop being pelted by the myriad of queries he didn’t really have answers to. </span>Except for one, which Gaster hastily jumped on.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s2">“<b>There is a simple way to find out if we are related to one another.</b></span> <span class="s1">” Gaster managed to cut in between one of Papyrus’ rapid-fire, rather interrogation-like line of questioning.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“i don’t think so.” Sans finally spoke up, his white eye lights thankfully back. “not gonna let you subject my bro to any weird experiments or whatever it is you got planned.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster was a little irritable at hearing that but brushed it off. That wasn’t his intention at all, but there was no point in getting into an argument. Who knew when a reset would happen again. He had no idea to know how often that or a reload would occur. Gaster was still in disbelief over the concept of a reset being proven to be real after all.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It had to be linked to determination. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Determination...</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It had been so long since Gaster had looked into the phenomenon and-</span>
</p><p class="p2">“what do you got in mind? thinking something awful hard there.” Sans prompted Gaster.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<b>A simple test, nothing more</b>.” The older skeleton monster casually held out his left hand and carefully brought forth some raw magic to rest over the hole in his palm. The magic glowed a soft purple and hovered steadily in mid-air. Gaster refrained from calling up any more magic, still remembering the drug-induced dusting he had been a part of. He focused on science instead. It was safer, and more familiar. “<b>Monsters who are related to one another tend to have their magic pulse together in the same tempo. This is especially apparent when one brings magic near their kin’s</b>.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Papyrus brightened at this explanation and immediately held out a gloved hand. Soft orange magic manifested there.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sans shuffled forward, still looking suspicious, but he had his left hand out with some cyan-colored magic.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<b>Now, the two of you hold your magic alongside one another</b>.” Gaster instructed. “<b>Then give the magic a chance to react</b>.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Both orange and cyan magic soon begin to softly pulse in unison.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster found it rather endearing with how excited Papyrus was to see this phenomenon. Gaster waited for a moment before he stepped forward to hold his hand up closer to the other skeleton monsters. The former scientist had anticipated Sans’ flinch but Gaster was more interested in watching the magic. Not only to see the result, but to glean some information about the other two while he was at it. </span>
  <span class="s1">The process did not take very long, and it gave some interesting insight.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Both brothers were strong in their own ways. </span>This seemed to be a common theme when it came to monster families.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Unsurprisingly, Gaster’s magic did not settle into the same rhythm as Sans or Papyrus’ magic.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Papyrus looked to be a little put-out</span>
  <span class="s1"> that he wasn’t related to another skeleton.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sans was immensely relieved, as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Papyrus bounced back quickly from the disappointment. </span>
</p><p class="p2">“WELL, EVEN IF WE ARE NOT RELATED, I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD BE FRIENDS!” Papyrus was back in a good mood as he warmed up to a sudden idea. “I KNOW! YOU SHOULD COME HAVE DINNER WITH US! I AM GOING TO BE MAKING SPAGHETTI!”</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">”<b>I will have to pass on your offer. I was only planning to be in Snowdin briefly before continuing on my way</b>.” Gaster had a feeling that Sans would not appreciate his presence in his own home. Gaster was proven correct in his assumption when Sans relaxed his stance. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“hey, why not go start dinner now?” Sans suggested to his brother. “I wanna have a quick chat with Gaster before he goes on his way.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster tensed up a little at that.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“THEN I WILL GO CREATE THE MOST DELICIOUS OF SPAGHETTI THIS EVENING! NYEH HEH!” Papyrus wagged a gloved finger at his brother. “AND DON’T DALLY ON YOUR WAY HOME! I DON’T WANT TO GET A CALL FROM GRILLBY’s AND FIND YOU IN THAT GREASE PIT!” Papyrus didn’t wait for Sans to respond before racing off at breakneck speed through the surrounding trees.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“stay away from me and my brother.” Sans dropped any pretense of friendliness. “paps doesn’t need any unpleasant memories, and neither do i. the past should stay dead.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<b>I am from another universe</b>.” Gaster was genuinely curious as to why Sans was so hostile toward him. “<b>I cannot possibly be the Gaster of this universe</b>.”</span>
</p><p class="p2">“that you know of.” Sans replied cryptically.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<b>I believe I know myself better than that. I</b> <b>know that I am not from this place</b>.” Gaster fixed his eye lights on Sans. “<b>If I am to agree to stay away from you and your brother, you could at the very least let me know why. I, personally, have never met you two before</b>.”<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Technically not in this particular timeline, anyway, but Sans didn’t know that.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster waited to see if he would get a response.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“the gaster i knew...he was terrible.” Sans tone was quiet when the shorter skeleton finally spoke again after a long period of silence. “he was obsessed with his work. he needed everything to run perfectly, and for every little detail to be checked and double checked. gaster also took to performing unethical experiments on other monsters, when he wasn’t getting the results he wanted fast enough.” Sans bony brow furrowed a tiny amount. “worked in another section of the lab, but whenever i had to interact with gaster...it was never pleasant. i would sometimes unwillingly ingest some kinda drug he was experimenting with that he would slip into something i would eat or drink.” Sans’ left eye socket flickered briefly with cyan and yellow.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster's jaw bone set. He would never stoop so low as to drug someone just to see what would happen. If anything, he might test it in himself, and only if he were absolutely certain it was safe to do so.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“it was worse when paps would find mysterious colorful vials in a bag i brought home without realizing it.and being a young monster, papyrus would associate those vivid colors with candy.” The magic in Sans eye socket strengthened at the memory. “both of us were nearly dusted several times because of gaster, until asgore forbid him from experimenting on monsters. gaster was banned from certain research, and put under heavy surveillance. to direct his attention to the human souls that had been collected, in order to try to figure out ways to destroy the barrier.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster was uneasy. While he didn’t exactly experiment on other monsters without their permission, it was still unnerving to hear some...similarities, between himself and this other Gaster. Particularly the obsessive bit, and the need for everything to be perfect before going through with an experiment.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And Sans could tell.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“you aren’t bad, huh?” sans asked, his grin and tone unpleasant. “you sure about that? Your LV...seems like it has its own story to tell.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<b>I have made mistakes I am not proud of</b>.” Gaster said quietly. “<b>I lived to regret many, if not all of them</b>.” Gaster’s tone dropped to a faint whisper. “<b>Some of it...I had no control over to prevent the outcome</b>.”</span>
</p><p class="p2">Sans’ silence was telling before the shorter skeleton continued on with his story.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“life in the labs got better after that order was put in place, but the king underestimated gaster’s tenacity and getting the answers that he wanted or needed to find. but in the meantime, before things got real bad, i had some not so terrible interactions with gaster.” Sans’ grin twitched. “papyrus recovered just fine from those unexpected drugs, being young and all. everything seemed to have gone back to normal. until late one night when i was getting ready to go home.” The magic flared fully to life in Sans’ left eye socket this time. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">All the heavy magic in the air made Gaster twitchy.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“gaster decided that that was the night he’d show his true colors. he cornered me, raving something about being so close to a breakthrough. i didn’t even get a chance to fight back before he injured me. precisely, of course, so I didn’t dust before he got whatever use he wanted out of me. don’t know how long i was trapped in a room, or really all of what went on.” Sans looked past Gaster as though seeing this universe’s actual Gaster. “all i knew when i was lucid again was thinkin’ of how paps all alone at home. couldn’t let gaster dust me from his ‘breakthrough’ experiment. i dunno how i found the strength to get out of that room. made it all the way to the bridge over the CORE before gaster found me. used blue soul magic and pinned me on the bridge.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster did not like the sound of this universe’s Gaster at all.</span>
</p><p class="p2">“i knew that gaster had been ready to drag me  back into the labs for whatever experiment he had been using me for but...” The magic left Sans’ eye socket, the shorter skeleton looking tired. “...but for whatever reason, he let go of me. I dunno what happened after that, because even though i feel like i had been falling, i musta blacked out. when i came to, my brother was there, upset that i had barely any HoPe.”</p><p class="p2">“<b>What happened to the Gaster of this universe</b>?” The former scientist wasn’t sure he wanted to know.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He fell into the core.” Sans said simply. “he shouldn’t have, since he seem to be smart enough to not let that happen. But what matters is that his insanity ended then and there.” Sans waved a hand idly before replacing it in his pocket. “and as a side effect, no one remembers him. gaster scattered himself across time and space by falling into the CORE. i only remember him because i was there that day. i also have access to some of his notes that hadn’t had their contents lost from that maniac’s erasure from reality.” Sans eye lights met the Gaster standing before him. “that good enough of a reason for why i want you to stay away from me and my bro?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Gaster is quiet before he gave a single nod. While he wasn’t this universe’s Gaster, the former scientist acknowledged that seeing someone who looked like your tormentor might not be good for one’s mental health. Even if it hurt Gaster himself to be shunned just because he so happened to look similar</span> to the erased from existence monster.  Gaster then became rather preoccupied with his own past, before his thoughts delved into the horror of the mere idea of falling into the CORE.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">What a terrifying thought, to be forgotten by everyone. </span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Kind of like what was happening to Gaster now, but at least he could have himself be seen and known. </span>When Gaster looked up, Sans was gone.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Well, the shorter skeleton monster had said his piece and let his opinion be known, so there was really no reason to stick around.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster let a slow sigh whistle out through his clenched together teeth, before slowly backtracking until he could pick his way through the forest and head for Snowdin.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was a lonely walk.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster was not precisely sure what to do with himself. He was not even sure whether this underground was like his own in terms of layout. It wasn’t like Gaster had reason to stray far from Waterfall, Hotland, or New Home. Gaster reached Snowdin, and secluded himself in building with the poorly spelled out library sign, and chose to bury his discomforts by reading for hours on end.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was a nice way to pass time. There were even some interesting books that had been found in the dump from the surface.</span>
</p><p class="p1">-x-x-x-</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster must have unwittingly dozed off when he realized that he was in a familiar darkness. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Or was it a dream?<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Shadows grasped at Gaster, with a single voice grating out unintelligible words. And then came the sharp twisting sensation of being pulled apart. This time, the tearing seemed to actually be affecting his soul.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It hurt.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was an indescribable agony.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The pain went on and on until finally-</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster opened his eyes sockets, and saw that he was no longer in the library. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He was back outside in the snow.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Alone again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Before Gaster could even decide what to do with himself, the world spun around him. Again came that horrible feeling of tugging at his very soul and body, threatening to tear him apart.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">When it was over,</span> Gaster’s eye lights were met with the familiar scenery of snow.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Was the universe...stable now? </span>Or was there going to be another-</p><p class="p1">A stutter.</p><p class="p1">A ripple.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster was staring up at the snow again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Had that been a reload?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Or a reset?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It happened again, as Gaster made as if to stand up.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And then again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was as though someone was watching the former scientist, and was having a good laugh at his expense.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Several reloads happened during the time Gaster tried to get to his feet, until he finally just gave up and lie there, so as to not get overly disoriented.  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That didn't stop the time from rewinding now and again.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The sound of the dog monsters barking, as well as Sans and Papyrus' bickering was on repeat. This let Gaster know that he wasn't imagining things. </span> <span class="s1">It hurt his soul deeply to be subjected to the sensation of being torn in all directions with every reload and reset.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It wouldn't stop.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The reset happened again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And <em>again</em>.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster wanted to scream each time it happened, the pain and agony of the darkness of the in-between so overpowering. And each time it happened, that sinister voice was getting closer and clearer in the darkness, as was the abnormally cold touch that grasped at Gaster.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then, time began to space out between the resets and the reloads, almost as if someone were getting bored of him curled up and quivering in the snow. <br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As soon as there were no signs of another reset, Gaster took to his feet and teleported to the edge of Snowdin, desperate to get out of the snow, and somewhere warm.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Grillby's was that shelter that Gaster chose.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then, another reset.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster stubbornly got up and went to Snowdin, again going to Grillby’s. </span>
  <span class="s1">The ambient chatter was better than the silence of the library.  The bar was also the most accepting of Gaster's presence, as the monsters inside didn't seem overly perturbed by Gaster’s appearance or the fact that he was a stranger.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A good thing, that. </span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Five resets and two reloads later, </span> Gaster decided to enter Grillby’s on his own this time, without the company of the dog monsters. Gaster was glad that, as usual, he was only briefly scrutinized by the patrons, before they went back to their food, drink or company. </p><p class="p1">Instead of the booth, Gaster decided to sit himself down on a stool in front of the counter, and stared down at it, hands clasped together tightly. <span class="s1">This experience of his thus far, while very intriguing, was also utterly exhausting. Gaster was starting to let the hopelessness of the situation sink in, but it was hard to keep a positive attitude with the resets and reloads happening with such frequency, even if they were spacing out more and more.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A warm presence drew nearer and Gaster realized with a jolt that the fire monster was on the other side of the counter from him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seeing that he had Gaster's attention, the bartender surprised the skeleton monster by signing at him.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster looked down at his clasped hands, before his shoulders slumped. He should respond, but...he couldn’t. The former scientist was stuck with rare indecision over whether or not to engage.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The heat slowly moved away, indicating that the fire monster had walked away.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster should have at least acknowledged the other monster, but he couldn’t. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Time passed at a crawl, with the idle chatter of patrons being broken occasionally with excited barks from the dog monsters who had arrived earlier.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster unclamped his hands to bring them up to skull. He gently rubbed at his skull with phalanges, as if this would offer him some kind of relief. In the middle of this, while making some rather distressing bone scraping noises, the fire monster returned. Gaster tilted his skull up so that his eye lights could settle on the fire monster.</span>
</p><p class="p1">The two stared at one another before the bartender raised his hands and signed with practiced motions.</p><p class="p1">Gaster missed what the other monster was saying because he had been watching the fire monster’s flames flickering and curling lazily into the air. </p><p class="p1">How did the elemental control the temperature of his fire? Did he have to think about it, or was it as natural as breathing? Was it actual fire mixed in with magic?</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster noted that he had been staring at the fire monster in rapt silence while observing the other’s flames. Gaster was little sheepish for being lost in thought as he signed back.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">‘<em>Again? I missed that</em>.‘</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">'<em>Long day?'</em> There was a soft crackling noise, likely laughter, from the fire monster. '<em>You appear to be dressed for sleep</em>.'</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>'It seems that I am. Not out of the ordinary.'</em>  Gaster responded with a few swift motions.  The skeleton monster had honestly forgotten that he was still wearing a dark-colored bathrobe over his clothing.  And it was true that he would, at times, have shown up to the lab in sleeping attire.  Gaster could still hear the good-natured chuckling from the past. He plucked the soft material between bony fingers absently.  '<em>Any reason I can't be wearing pajamas in a bar</em>?'</span>
</p><p class="p2"><em>‘None at all.' </em>The fire monster almost looked like he was...smiling.</p><p class="p2"><em>'Do you normally make a point to talk to skeleton monsters in bathrobes?'  </em>Gaster asked, his teeth clacking together in what was an almost smile.</p><p class="p2"><em>'Not usually.  It is just that you have been sitting here for over an hour, lost in thought.'</em> The fire monster's head tilted to to side. '<em>I figured that I</em> w<em>ould ask to see if you would like anything before retiring to bed</em>?’</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>'I do not have any particular sleep schedule.</em>'  Gaster finally found a genuine grin crossing his face.  The bone around his teeth seemed to shift a tad bit, in any case.  '<em>It's usually when I find myself collapsed over a desk and someone is poking me in the skull or spine to go home and go to bed.’</em></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">'<em>A workaholic, then</em>.'  The bartender's flames danced a little higher, some pieces of it flickering off from his head.  <em>'Seem</em><em> to recall similar incidents in the past, involving the kitchen and catching things on fire.'</em></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">'<em>I assume that would be a hazard</em>.' Gaster realized, as he was happily signing to the fire monster, that he was hungry. Unfortunately, Gaster discovered a problem soon after. ‘<em>I...do not have any gold with me at present</em>.’ Gaster double-checked the pockets of his robe and his slacks. The former scientist kept mum about the empty syringe in his robe pocket. <em>That</em> was definitely not the kind of conversation Gaster was interested in having right now.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Not with a complete stranger.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>I can start a tab for you</em>.’Came the fire monster’s response.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>Do you do that for everyone</em>?’ Gaster wondered with a dubious twist of his fingers.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>Only for those who need it.</em>’ The fire monster looked at the other patrons before focusing back on Gaster. Or he seemed to. It was hard to tell with the reflection off the glasses the other monster wore. ‘<em>Many come here to drown their sorrows or seek shelter and solitude</em>.’</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>Something substantial would be appreciated.</em>’ Gaster admitted after taking in the words. ‘<em>The last thing I remember eating were some crackers I found in a drawer at home</em>.’ Gaster paused, gathering his thoughts as he tapped his phalanges against his skull before continuing on. <em>‘I think there were half cooked noodles too. Maybe two days ago? I do not keep track of such things very well. My assistants tended to drag me away from my work in the past, when I was too immersed in it, to make sure I ate something.”</em><br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>Crackers. And noodles</em>.” The fire monster’s motions were slow, precise, as if confirming that he had interpreted that correctly.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>Yes</em>.’ Gaster teeth clacked together thoughtfully a few times, lost in his memories of what used to be. Gaster did not notice that the fire monster had already walked off around a corner and into the back of the bar. But Gaster did notice when two burgers, a plate of fries and some glass of tinted liquid were placed in front of him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Oh, that looked <em>really</em> good.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster looked up to find the fire monster further away, serving another monster, a red bird. Gaster stared at the food in front of him, and then dug in. He wondered if anyone around him was curious how he ate, being a skeleton. Solid monster food converting into magic as soon as he bit down into it was an interesting sight, and it was also always fascinating to him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Magic worked in mysterious ways.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Gaster hadn't realized he’d been so weak from lack of food. The drink he had been given even gave him a boost to his HP, which was exactly what he needed. Gaster stared off into the distance at the bottles of alcohol at the back of the bar once he’d finished it all, until he caught a flicker of flame and the temperature around him rising a bit.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The bartender was back.</span>
</p><p class="p2">‘<em>I really needed that.</em>’ Gaster let the other monster know. <em>'Should be able to sleep well tonight.'</em></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The fire monster inclined his head as he gathered up the empty plates and glass.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster zoned out again, until the fire monster returned and got his attention by standing within Gaster's eye sight.<br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The bartender also seems to have caused the air to warm a bit more that before.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster realized with a jolt that the bar was empty, and looked to the other monster.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>'I need</em><em> to close up for the night</em>.' The fire monster let Gaster know.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">'<em>Did not realize that it was so late</em>.' Gaster slid off the stool and stood up, not all that surprised to find that he was about a foot taller than the fire monster. He was a lanky, bony toothpick, according to some of the assistants he had had in the lab.’ <em>Thank you for the meal.</em>'  Gaster hesitated. ‘<em>Didn’t catch your name.’</em></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The fire monster’s laugh came out as a soft hiss of flame.  Then, a raspy-crackle of a voice spoke aloud.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Grillby.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>That makes </em><em>sense, given the name of the bar</em>.’ Gaster signed, feeling another genuine twitch to his jaw bone for an actual smile. Gaster was going to give his name, but considering how Sans reacted to it, Gaster opted to shorten it.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kind of.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">'<em>Wingdings</em>.' </span>It seemed worth it for Gaster to only give that part of his name, since to get another hiss-pop of a laugh out of the previously silent bartender.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>Well, Wingdings, it is nice to meet you</em>.’ </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">‘<em>Likewise</em>.’ Gaster turned away and walked over to the door of the bar to exit it. As soon as Gaster was outside, the temperature seem to have dropped, and Gaster wasn’t sure where to go, so he tried the inn nearby. The skeleton monster entered on the off chance that there was a room he could have.  If not, he hoped that he could, at the very least, crash in the lobby to stay out of the cold.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was very quiet inside.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster lingered in the entryway, before resigning himself to going to curl up on the chair despite his height. It looked awkward and uncomfortable, and one of the bunnies noticed his presence.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">”Sir? Um, what are you doing on the chair? That’s not a good place to sleep, you know.” One bunny tentatively told Gaster.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<b>I do not have gold to pay for a room</b>.” Gaster grimaced at the way he spooked the bunny, and nervously signed the words.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Thankfully, the bunny seemed to understand.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">”You don’t have to stay in the lobby.” The bunny rummaged around beneath a counter and produced a key, moving over to where Gaster had reluctantly gotten up of the chair. The bunny craned their head back. “My, you’re a tall fellow, aren’t you?” <br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>‘I’ve always been tall, even when I was younger</em>.’ Gaster gave a helpless kind of shrug. ‘<em>Makes for an interesting point of conversation, I guess</em>.’</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, try and rest up. You look dead on your feet.” The bunny said, watching the way Gaster was swaying on unsteady feet. The bunny suddenly looked embarrassed. “No offense meant.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">’<em>None taken.’</em> Gaster assured the bunny, as he reached out to take the key, smiling faintly over the way the bunny was on the tops of their feet, straining to hand the key over. ‘<em>Thank you.</em>’ <br/>
</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Room is down the hall, third on the right.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gaster inclined his head in silent thanks as he went in the indicated direction. Gaster opened the door and went inside the room, closing the door behind him and dropping the key on a small table that was listing to the left. Gaster continued on to the bed and collapsed onto it, uncaring that it wasn’t big enough to accommodate his height. Gaster found that he didn’t care, as he hoped against hope that he did not have to go through another reset so soon. Not after having more positive interactions with the inhabitants of this snowy town. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But it just wasn't to be.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Gaster despaired when he woke up and found himself lying in the snow. </span> <span class="s1">The same conversations as before passed him by as skeleton monster </span><span class="s1">stared blankly up at the snow falling down on him.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why?</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">What was even the point of interacting with anyone in this universe, if they were all going to forget about him? Why do anything, when Gaster was going to be forced to go through it all again?</span> <span class="s1"> To always have the lingering hope that there wouldn’t be another reset, only to have that hope crushed? </span><span class="s1">Would Gaster never experience time moving forward at a normal pace? Was he caught in some kind of never-ending time loop?<br/>
</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The very idea </span><span class="s1">broke something </span>inside of Gaster.  He was never going to get a good night's rest with that hanging over his skull. Not that he’d ever had restful sleep. Especially not after the war.</p><p class="p1">”<b>Now what...?</b>” Gaster absently asked the snow falling onto him, his left hand slipping into his pocket to trace along the syringe that was there. “<b>How do I process the repeating of time? Why am I able to remember these resets? Was it the drug I was shot with before leaving my universe, or was it all coincidence? Was something else the catalyst?” </b>Gaster’s eye sockets closed. Just thinking about the how and the why made him want to groan. He had no access to a lab, and had no connections in this place to even begin to think of asking to be allowed into one. He somehow doubted that Sans would be amendable to that idea any time soon. Not with the animosity Sans felt toward the Gaster of this universe, despite that Gaster being erased from existence.</p><p class="p1"><b>”Are there ways to compartmentalize each reset, or is everything to be remembered? Of never being able to make any connections, because no one remembers meeting me as I have them? Will this continue on forever, or will there be a reprieve? Is there a limit?</b>”</p><p class="p1">Naturally, the elements falling from overhead did not have an answer for the skeleton monster.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apparently saying I’ll post sometime before the end of this month became just two days later. Which is fine. Gaster just wanted to meet Grillby properly already. I know that I have more to write out/edit for the next chapter, so it *definitely* won’t be out until sometime in July.</p><p>And as for what was going on...Flowey is somewhere on the sidelines watching everything and getting a kick out of tormenting Gaster.  Because, you know, something new to toy around with in the world that changes things up from before.</p><p>Also, I like to think that Grillby will converse with anyone who looks like they need someone to talk to. But only if that someone wants to be talked to and with. Too bad Gaster will have to keep starting over with other monsters and the conversations he has with them because Flowey won't chill with the resets/reloads yet.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Reminder that this is a slow burn, so Gaster and Grillby won't even really interact right away as the former needs to get his bearings first.</p><p>I do not have a solid update plan for this fic, apart from getting the next chapter up by the end of the week and maybe the third chapter sometime later this month (just to get a glimpse of Grillby).  </p><p>I am leaning toward taking mercy on my eyes, hands and shoulders and having this fic be a once a month update (maybe two if I'm up for it).</p></blockquote></div></div>
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